ST. GEORGE, Utah – Darrion Trammell poured in 30 points for a second straight night, the Redhawks got offensive support from their bench and the defense forced 23 turnovers as Seattle U men's basketball rolled to a 77-56 win at Dixie State Saturday night.
The Western Athletic Conference win was the first of the season for the Redhawks (8-7, 1-2 WAC), snapped a four-game skid on the road and avenged a heartbreaking 77-76 defeat to the Trailblazers (5-9, 2-6 WAC) from just 24 hours prior.
"I'm really really proud of our guys," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "This was what I call a beautiful ugly win. We weren't all that amazing on offensive, but we forced 23 turnovers, our field goal percentage defense was good, we cleaned it up with rebounding and we did all the different things to not let the home team ever get comfortable."
Both teams were slow to get their offenses going early in the game and the score sat at just 6-6 six minutes in. Dixie State's Isaiah Pope would hit one oof two free throws and Trammell did the same before Kobe Williamson scored five straight and Rip Ecoonomou came off the bench to add a three and the Redhawks quickly opened up a 15-7 advantage.
A second three from Economou gave Seattle U its first double-digit lead, 23-13, with 7:05 remaining in the half. The junior added one more in the frame, pushing the spread to 13, 26-13.
The Redhawks would push the lead to as many as 15 in the first half before taking a 36-25 advantage into the break.
"We needed one more person to make some outside shots last night and Rip came in in the first half tonight and gave us separation by burying his first three three's," said Hayford. "I'm really proud of him."
Economou added three rebounds and three steals to go along with his nine points on the night.
After scoring 10 points in the first half, Trammell began to take over in the second. Dixie State opened the frame with five straight points, but Trammell would quiet the potential run with a triple with 16:06 on the clock.
He would hit a second straight three to push the lead briefly back to double digits and his fourth long ball of the night made it 47-36 with 11:56 to play.
As the Trailblazers looked to cut into the double-digit Redhawk lead, Seattle U continued to find answers.
A three by Aaron Nettles made it 50-39 Seattle U with 8:25 remaining. Dixie State came back with a Cameron Gooden three on the ensuing possession, but the home team would get no closer for the remainder of the night.
Nettles and Vas Pandža each knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 12-point game. And Trammell's fifth and final three, a corner ball to beat the shot clock, was a dagger that made it 68-51 with just under three minutes to play.
Trammell would finish 11-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line for his second straight 30-point outing and his third 30-point game of the season.
"We've had a lot of great lead guards in our offense over the last 10-15 years, but I've never had one get 30 points on back-to-back nights," Hayford. "He gave us a really special weekend."
Nettles joined him in double figures, collecting 16 points on four field goals and 7-of-9 shooting from the charity stripe. Economou added nine points, Williamson had eight to go along with 11 rebounds and Pandža had six, all from the free-throw line.
Seattle U shot 42 percent from the field and 37 percent from three while holding the Trailblazers to just 33 percent from the field and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc.
The Redhawks return to Seattle next week to host New Mexico State for a pair of WAC games. Tip off both Friday and Saturday is set for 6 p.m. Pacific. The games will stream live on ESPN+ and can be heard in Seattle on KTTH 770 AM or mynorthwest.com.
The Western Athletic Conference win was the first of the season for the Redhawks (8-7, 1-2 WAC), snapped a four-game skid on the road and avenged a heartbreaking 77-76 defeat to the Trailblazers (5-9, 2-6 WAC) from just 24 hours prior.
"I'm really really proud of our guys," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "This was what I call a beautiful ugly win. We weren't all that amazing on offensive, but we forced 23 turnovers, our field goal percentage defense was good, we cleaned it up with rebounding and we did all the different things to not let the home team ever get comfortable."
Both teams were slow to get their offenses going early in the game and the score sat at just 6-6 six minutes in. Dixie State's Isaiah Pope would hit one oof two free throws and Trammell did the same before Kobe Williamson scored five straight and Rip Ecoonomou came off the bench to add a three and the Redhawks quickly opened up a 15-7 advantage.
A second three from Economou gave Seattle U its first double-digit lead, 23-13, with 7:05 remaining in the half. The junior added one more in the frame, pushing the spread to 13, 26-13.
The Redhawks would push the lead to as many as 15 in the first half before taking a 36-25 advantage into the break.
"We needed one more person to make some outside shots last night and Rip came in in the first half tonight and gave us separation by burying his first three three's," said Hayford. "I'm really proud of him."
Economou added three rebounds and three steals to go along with his nine points on the night.
After scoring 10 points in the first half, Trammell began to take over in the second. Dixie State opened the frame with five straight points, but Trammell would quiet the potential run with a triple with 16:06 on the clock.
He would hit a second straight three to push the lead briefly back to double digits and his fourth long ball of the night made it 47-36 with 11:56 to play.
As the Trailblazers looked to cut into the double-digit Redhawk lead, Seattle U continued to find answers.
A three by Aaron Nettles made it 50-39 Seattle U with 8:25 remaining. Dixie State came back with a Cameron Gooden three on the ensuing possession, but the home team would get no closer for the remainder of the night.
Nettles and Vas Pandža each knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 12-point game. And Trammell's fifth and final three, a corner ball to beat the shot clock, was a dagger that made it 68-51 with just under three minutes to play.
Trammell would finish 11-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line for his second straight 30-point outing and his third 30-point game of the season.
"We've had a lot of great lead guards in our offense over the last 10-15 years, but I've never had one get 30 points on back-to-back nights," Hayford. "He gave us a really special weekend."
Nettles joined him in double figures, collecting 16 points on four field goals and 7-of-9 shooting from the charity stripe. Economou added nine points, Williamson had eight to go along with 11 rebounds and Pandža had six, all from the free-throw line.
Seattle U shot 42 percent from the field and 37 percent from three while holding the Trailblazers to just 33 percent from the field and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc.
The Redhawks return to Seattle next week to host New Mexico State for a pair of WAC games. Tip off both Friday and Saturday is set for 6 p.m. Pacific. The games will stream live on ESPN+ and can be heard in Seattle on KTTH 770 AM or mynorthwest.com.
Postgame comments from @CoachHayford following tonight's @WACsports road win at Dixie State. pic.twitter.com/UZsQoKMdoQ
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) February 7, 2021